One of Their Own:  A Snow White story
by fanpersonthingy
Summary: They found her in the woods as a child; they accepted her in their family. As far as she is concerned she's never been anywhere else. But even two year olds have a past, and her's is going to come back to haunt her.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: ** Just to note, I knew some of the names in this story are a little hard to say. I had to look up the meanings myself. So just before we start, I am going to give you a little legend or what not of the names, in case you want to know the proper pronunciation:

Cohen - KOE- en

Dara - DAH-rah

Darius - dah-RYE-us

Hilarion - hee-LAH-ree- on (at times may appear Rion- REE-on)

Belfour - bal-FOR

Tobias - toe-By-ah

Evander -EE-vander

Logan - Lo-Gun

Rowan - RO-an

Eirawen - EYE-rah-wen (At times appear Eire- EYE-Rah)

So, obvously some names are much easier than others. Anways, that just for your refrence. Please read the story now.

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

In a small log house, nestled deep in the forest, hidden from the nearby town there once lived a family.

It was a large, modest family, who despite hardships was immensely happy.

Cohan St. Claire worked at the salt mine on the other side of the forest, just at the edge of town, striving to make a living for his wife and children.

While Cohen was at work his lovely wife Dara stayed at home to cook and clean. She made sure that their home was somewhere she would want to live. In between the cooking and cleaning she found time to make sure her children were kept out of trouble.

All seven of them.

There was Darius, the oldest, who with plenty of determination and good will was well on his way to becoming the best doctor their little town had ever seen, as had been his dream for the past twelve years.

At the age of ten, Hilarion was the most good-natured boy you had ever met. He had never found a situation or person that he hadn't liked, and with the head of full dark black hair and laughing blue eyes that most of his family shared, he was well on his way to becoming quite the charmer. Dara liked to tell her children that Hilarion was the happiest baby you had ever met, never cried once.

Belfour, on the other hand, was the sleepiest. In the morning this eight year old was the hardest of her children to wake up, and throughout his waking hours, he seemed to be off some-where else. His eyes always had a dreamy look about them, as if he had never truly woken up.

Poor Tobias had always been a pale sickly sort. He was always giving his mother grief even though lord knows he didn't mean to. Frail and allergic to almost anything he came in contact with, Tobias couldn't find anything that he wasn't able to catch some sort of ailment from. Although sharing Hilarion's classic colouring, his pale, seemingly transparent skin and large spectacles seemed to hide all resemblance. In his five years of life, Tobias had been sick more times than all his siblings combined.

If Hilarion never found a situation that didn't suit him, than four year old Evander, with his shock of red hair and abundance of freckles, never found one that did. With a quick temper and often an ill-disposition Evander was going to give his mother a head of grey hair long before her time.

Logan, with his open and honest face and little boy smile was Dara's baby. At two years, he had yet to pick up the act of words as quickly as her other children had, but that only made her hold on to him tighter.

If Logan was her baby then Rowan, the actual baby of the family, was her mother's darling. The only other child to inherit her mother's red hair, and of course, Dara's only daughter, Rowan seemed to be a quieter sort than the rest of her family. A little more reserved around strangers, a little more prone to shyness.

Perfect in their own ways, Dara and Cohen loved each of their children fiercely. However, they both felt as if something was missing. What, they weren't certain, but they both felt in there heart of hearts that there was just...

_Something._

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><p><strong>AN:** Well that was the prologue. I hoped you enjoyed it. Please feel free to leave a review. I love to hear what you think. What you liked, what you didn't. Constructive critisism is always welcome, that is how we grow as writers. Really I just love hearing what you think so please feel free to tell me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

"He called Logan stupid! What did you want me to do?" Eirawen St. Claire asked indignantly as her brother Evander dragged her away from school and one of her other brothers Logan trailed happily along behind them blissfully oblivious to the feud he had inadvertently caused.

"I wanted you," Evander, who at eighteen, two years older than both Logan and Eirawen, felt he had some right to be in control, said evenly – a sure sign that he was piping mad, "to leave it alone."

Eirawen snorted, "Cause that's what you would have done."

Evander stopped suddenly and whirled around on his sister, his fair skin turning as red as his hair. Eirawen thought that she should be able to see steam blowing out of his ears, he was that mad. Apparently she had really stepped in it this time.

But with Evander what else was new?

Therefore, she tossed her curly blonde hair over her shoulder and looked back at his angry face with a defiant one.

"Finely O'Brian is not half the size of me!" he raged, "I couldn't have been pumbled to a pulp by him."

With fair hair, deep brown eyes, and a slender build it was true that she didn't look like she could handle herself in a fight.

She also didn't look anything like the boy fuming in front of her. Together, neither of them looked like black haired, blue-eyes Logan gawking at them from off to the side.

When all was taken in, three different hair colours, three different eye colours, an outsider would look at the group and not believe that these three were all members of the same family.

Of course, what they wouldn't know was that Evander took after his mother, Logan his father, and Eirawen…

Well by blood she was related to either of the boys, but try to tell any of them that, and Evander will be perfectly willing to do the pumbling. Gentle-hearted Logan may even be willing to join in.

Eirawen sniffed haughtily, "I was doing just fine, thank you very much."

"Eira," he sighed, looking her over; he shook his head and pulled on her arm once more, "Let's just go."

Eira pouted but didn't argue; she knew Evander's limits. Besides her face hurt. She touched the tender skin around her eye wincing a bit as she did so.

_That's not going to be good,_ she bit her lip worriedly.

At that moment Logan bumped her shoulder with his and blinked his sad baby blues at her, "Eirawen hurt?"

"Aw buddy," she bumped his should back and smiled softly, "I've never been better."

Evander snorted and shook his head. Eira glared at the back of it – his head that is. She debated telling him to shove off, but in the end decided that would just upset Logan more and left it.

"Love Eirawen," Logan gave her, her favourite goofy smile, the one that most people leave behind in childhood but sweet, kind hearted Logan never did.

"I love you too, Logan." Eira gave him a one armed hug, since Evander still had her other hand firmly in his grasp.

Bumbling along happily, Logan proceeded to follow his siblings as they approached a small quaint cottage on a quiet little street in the middle of town.

Eira rolled her eyes when she saw the house with its wooden frame and neat white trim, "Darius's, really Vander?"

The house was perfectly charming, and orderly. There was a picket fence keeping their neat green yard, and sprawling gardens separated from the road, and each window had a splash of colour in the form of white flower boxes.

"Just get inside," Evander more or less growled.

"Isn't this a little bit much?"

"Eira! Inside!"

She huffed and rolled her eyes once again, but didn't bother to argue. Instead she gave Evander a glare and lead Logan into the house.

The inside of the home was as neat and orderly as the outside. Eirawen put her coat on the rack and called a hello.

She loved coming to Darius's house, under normal circumstances that is. It was always much more quiet, and neater than home. Home was great, but home was busy, chaotic.

Darius's was quiet, simple.

When Evander wasn't the one forcing her to be there that is.

He could be such a…

"Eirawen! Logan, what are you—" Darius's pretty wife, Melanie stopped in the doorway of the kitchen when she saw Eira's appearance, "Where's Evander?"

Eira tried to keep the wry smile off her face. This wasn't the first time Vander had gone off the handle like this; Melanie was well aware what it meant when Eirawen showed up on her door step scuffled and bruise.

"He's out—" Eirawen stopped as Evander himself walked through the door.

"Where's Darius?"

"Oh don't say hello," Eira quipped grumpily.

"I'm not in the mood, Eira."

"You're not in the mood, Vander? Need I remind you I—?"

Melanie cut them off with a laugh, "You're in luck Darius is up stairs at the moment. Why don't you two call it a truce until he comes down? I'll get us a snack."

She wrapped an arm around Logan and walked into the kitchen leaving the two to bicker on their own.

Eirawen gave Evander a cold glare as she flounced after the other two. She heard, as she had expected, Evander shuffle grumpily in after her.

"Where's my favourite niece?" she asked once in the pristine white kitchen, looking around the room for Melanie and Darius's daughter.

"Just went up for a nap when you came in," Melanie replied putting cookies onto a plate and setting it on the table for her guests. "So, Eira, what did –?"

"I thought I heard the dulcet tones of my favourite bickering siblings," Darius St. Claire called as he waltzed into the kitchen ruffling Logan's hair as he went past.

He took a cookie off the plate, kissed his wife, and then let his gaze settle on Eirawen.

"You know Vander, she doesn't need to see a doctor every time she gets into a school yard shuffle," he said conversationally, leaning casually against the counter.

Evander, who had settled himself into an aggressive position against the back wall, his arm muscles pulled tight, as he had them crossed over his chest, glared at his older brother. His features were settled into a dark frown, "Just do it."

"What do you say?" Darius turned to Eira causally, "will we humor the old boy?"  
>"Might as well," she sighed and jumped up onto the table, "I'm already here, and you know how he'll get if we don't."<p>

Darius finished his cookie in one bite and walked over to his sister, taking her chin and turning her head this way and that, looking at the bruises.

Eira winced as he touched the sore patch around her eye.

He spoke casually as he inspected the various bruises, "So, who was it this time?"

"Finley O'Brian."

"And it was the usual I suppose?" Darius chuckled and stepped back, "It's just as I suspected."

He slowly went over to the small refrigerator.

"What? She didn't break anything, did she?" Evander was immediately alert, pushing himself off the wall.

"Gosh no," Darius laughed again pulling a bag of frozen peas out of the fridge, "her dress took more damage than her body."

Eira bit her lip and fingered the small tear up the side of her skirt. There as enough dirt and some blood from a small cut she had acquired on her arm, that one wouldn't be able to tell that it had been a light pink that morning.

"Then what's the ice for?"

Darius handed Eira the bag with a rueful grin, "Ma's going to be none too happy about the shiner you'll have in the morning."

She grimaced as she set the peas on the eye. Ma wasn't going to be happy about the dress either.

She let out a small groan.

"You don't suppose she'll care that I pumbled Finley good do you?"

"Not a hope in hell, Toots."

She groaned again. This was the respect she got for defending her family honor. No sympathy at all.

And she _had _pumbled Finley good. Despite her size she had a surprising amount of strength when provoked. Besides she was well aware of her weaknesses and how to fight accordingly.

With six brothers she had been taught well.

Finley had never seen her coming. She knew she had gotten at least one good shot to _his _eye before the school teacher, Mrs. Bryant had interfered. His lip had been split, and he had been wincing while they shuffled back into the school behind Mrs. Bryant. A wince that told Eira that she was pretty sure he had bruised a rib or two.

She had definitely won that battle. He would think twice before he insulted any of her family members next time.

Not that anyone seemed to care.

Darius finally took pity on her.

"Come on, I'll give you a lift home."

* * *

><p>Not that far away, in one of the grand houses that towered imposingly over the west end of town, Lady Grey sat with her pampered kitten Bartholomew, completely oblivious to the small family, and that their actions would very shortly be affecting her.<p>

"Martin!" she called, her shrill voice echoing through every corner of the home making every living creature in the vicinity wince, "Martin!"

"Yes my lady?"

A small mousy looking man with light, dull brown hair, and tired looking eyes appeared in the doorway.

"Where is my son?"

The man's fine clothes hung off him as if made for someone else, and his shoulders drooped as if the weight of the world was pushing down on them.

"Master Grey has gone out for the evening, my lady."

Lady Grey sighed dramatically at this apparent inconvenience, "When he gets in please send him to my chambers; it is necessary that we discuss his date for the upcoming ball."

"I do not believe he had got a date, my lady."

"Exactly, that makes in necessary for us to rectify that. No son of mine will be seen at a public event unaccompanied."

"Begging you pardon my lady, but are not balls a function meant for seeing new people?"

"Not when you are a Grey, Martin," she reprimanded shrilly, "A Grey is meant to be the one that is seen, not the one doing the seeing – and my son _will not _be seen alone!"

"Ah, of course my lady," Martin replied dully; he never made much effort to hide his constant state of tired boredom for Lady Grey never made much effort to see beyond herself.

"Since he doesn't have a date, it has put us in the position of acquiring one for him," she mused, "she must be worthy of a Grey, of course, but not too pretty. She mustn't be prettier than myself Martin."

"Prettier than you, my lady, impossible."

As always Lady Grey chose not to hear the insincerity in her butler's voice, "You spoil me so, Martin. Where are my papers? What do they say today?"

Martin sighed and handed the society pages over to his mistress.

"You are still on top, my lady; you are still their queen."

Lady grey simpered, "Let me see."

Martin pointed out the specific sections to her, all the while dreading the day someone ousted his mistress of her 'beloved' title, 'fairest of them all.'

* * *

><p>"Eirawen Delany St. Claire!"<p>

Eira winced as her mother's voice rang throughout the small house.

She took the peas off her face, and held them out sheepishly, "I brought supper?"  
>Dara just started at her daughter who meekly placed the bag on her face and sat herself down at the table.<p>

With her good eye she glared at the two people already there.

"Traitors."

The be speckled boy to her left looked at her startled, "What did I do?"

"You know what you did, Tobias."

The society papers across the table flopped down and the redheaded girl gave her a skeptical look, "Like Ma wouldn't' know the second you came through the door looking like that."

Rowan was always more bold when she was at home. Often Eira spent her time wishing the girl wouldn't be so shy outside of their house, but at this moment, she was longing for the shy behavior to make a reappearance here.

Hating her sister's logic, she gave her the stink eye and grasped for anything she could use against her.

"What do you read that rag for? Lady Grey's face isn't going to change – hasn't for years."

For a moment Evander forgot her was angry with her and snorted, but only for a moment.

"I would just like to add," Tobias butted in, "From what Rowan's told me, I think what you did was amazing."

Tobias, who was too frail to do anything that involved a lot of strength, or ran a risk of triggering his asthma, admired anyone who could do anything that did.

Still, he was the only family member who was saying anything positive, so Eira informed him that his traitor status had been revoked.

"Do anyone else car that she could have been—"

"Children!" Dara clapped causing them all to stop their bickering, "Tobias it was not 'amazing'; Rowan did the right thing in telling me; Evander that is quite enough, and Eirawen…" she stopped and took in her daughter's ragged appearance, "Really, what are we going to do with you?"

Eira gave her a tentative smile, "Slap me on the wrists and make me promise not to do it again?"

Dara's lips thinned into a straight line and her green eyes darkened in disapproval at the quip.

Eirawen swallowed nervously. This wasn't going to be good.

Be before the inevitable punishment could come, the door opened and the rest of her family, tired and filthy from the mine, came in.

"Saw Darius on the road," her father said giving Era a wry smile, "So who did she beat up this time?  
>"He deserved it," Eira called defensively while Rowan responded from her paper in a bored tone of voice,<p>

"Finley O'Brian."

Belfour blinked tiredly at her from the chair he had collapsed in, "Looks like he got a few punched in."

"He was twice her size," Evander burst, "She had no right—"

"You go him goo though, didn't you," Hilarion, good-natured as always, asked as he went to sit beside Logan.

"Hell yes."

"Eirawen! Language!"

`She looked at her lap, "Sorry, heck yes."

"That's my girl," Cohen winked at her, only to have his wife slap him.

"That's my—doesn't anybody—" Evander struggled for words for a moment before storming out of the room.

Eira watched him leave as guilt settled into her stomach.

The rest of the room, as was per usual with an Evander tantrum was silent.

Until Logan looked at the room with clear eyes, "Vander?"

Then it was as if a damn broke.

"What was _that _about?" Hilarion asked.

Belfour shrugged, "No idea."

"So full of himself," Rowan rolled her eyes behind her paper.

"High strung that one," Tobias informed the room, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"That," Eira said pointing to the doorway Evander just left through indignantly, "is not my fault; I will not fix it."

Dara clapped once more, and once more they were silent.

'Evander will tire himself out and it will be as if this had never happened," she announced, "But he isn't wrong. Eira this is not a game, and you have to learn you can't go punching whoever makes you mad. You're grounded for a week – and on cleaning duty."

Eirawen sighed. It could have been worse, "yes Ma."

"Now," Dara said," I see a bunch of people sitting around, and a dinner that needs to be made."

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><p><strong>AN**: well that is the second chapter. I hope you still enjoyed. As with last time, please feel free to review and tell me what you think. What you liked, what you didn't. And I will try to update again soon, but I have a few others stories I need to take care of, so it may be a week or two before I have the time to get the next chapter up.


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